Meetings of Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey at the World Economic Forum in Davos

During her three days in Davos, from Wednesday to Saturday (28-31 January), Switzerland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Micheline Calmy-Rey had a number of meetings with counterparts from various European and Asian countries to discuss issues of particular importance to Swiss foreign policy.  

Mrs. Calmy-Rey met with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, as well as with Armenian President Serge Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan. In the company of the President of the Swiss Confederation, Hans-Rudolf Merz, she engaged in a discussion with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.  

She also met with Saif-al-Islam al-Gaddafi, son of His Excellency Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi, in the context of on-going discussions for an agreement that will make it possible to restore normal relations between Switzerland and Libya. 

In partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the governments of Qatar and Singapore Micheline Calmy-Rey presented the main outlines of the “Global Governance Project”. The world has become increasingly complex and interdependent, while institutional structures remain fragmented and difficult to adapt. The aim of the project is to revise the concept of global governance in the framework of a process of discussion and deliberation between all key players. The WEF has a depth of experience and a network of members that make it an ideal venue for such a debate. The conclusions will be presented at Davos next year.  

In the framework of the Open Forum Davos, Micheline Calmy-Rey gave an address on the subject of “Religion and human rights – a contradiction?”. This speech can be accessed on the website of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA): www.eda.admin.ch

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